Device for affixing tips to shoe-laces



A. ZUCKERMAN.

DEVICE FOR AFFIXING TIPS T0 SHOE LACES.

APPLICATION HLED FEB,12.1920.

1,363,949, Pauii Dec. 28,1920.

. BY 7W- MW PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM ZUCKERMAN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR AFFIXING- TIPS TO SHOE-LACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application led February 12, 1920. Serial No. 358,312.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ABRAHAM ZUCKER- MAN, a citizen of Russia, and av resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Aiixing Tips to Shoe-Laces, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to a device for afxing the tips to shoe laces, especially those tips that are made of thin sheet metal and are squeezed around the shoe lace, being either supplied in iiat shape or in the form of a U-shaped piece. This device is made so that anyone can aiiiX a tip to a shoe lace, and is also adapted to be made in the form of a pocket device and can thus be utilized by salesmen and the like for more securely fastening the tips on shoe laces or for installing new tips on new laces.

The invention further consists of a device to be utilized for irst forming the strip of thin metal into U-shaped form so as to make it ready for the reception of the shoe lace.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my improved device. F ig. 2 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. 1, but with the jaws closed and with the shoe lace having a tip aHXed thereto, the free or forward end of each jaw being shown in section, and Fig. 3 is a detail view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but illustrating only the forward ends of the jaws and the shoe lace and illustrating a modified form of die.

The invention consists of means for squeezing a tip on a shoe lace, and in the form shown comprises the jaws 10 and 11, which are connected together so that they can swing relative to each other, in the form shown, this being done by bending a strip of metal to form the jaws, the bent or loo ed portion 12 thus providing a connection t at provides for a spring action of the jaws.

The jaws are provided on their ends with suitable dies 13 and 14, one die, such as the die 14, having a recess 15, and the other die having a projection 16 which ts in the recess 15, the inner end of the recess 15 and the outer end 17 of the projection being formed so that when they are forced together they will cause a shoe lace tip to be turned over so as to embrace or encircle the end of the shoe lace. In the form shown the bottom of the recess 15 and the part 17 of the projection 16 are shown as being recessed 1n a curved form so as to cause a thin sheet metal tip to be bent like a cylinder after it has been squeezed between the dies.

The shoe lace 18 is placed in the recess 15 along with, the tip 19, these tips being formed so that they are U-shaped in crosssection, and the U-shaped piece is placed in the recess 15, then the shoe lace 18, being inside of the tip, is in a position to have the tip aiiiXed thereto. This is done by squeezing the jaws 10 and 11 together, the free upper ends of the U-shaped piece then being engaged by the part 17, and are pressed down and squeezed so as to tightly embrace vthe end of the lace.

If desired, one or both of the ends of the dies can be provided with projections 20 which cause an excess pressure on that part of the tip engaged by such projection to press that part of the tip harder and thus embed it slightly in the shoe lace, so as to prevent the projection of any edge to be caught to tear the tip from the lace. This is desirable because many tips are stripped from shoe laces when the shoe laces are being withdrawn or pulled out of the eye in the shoe in the act of loosening the shoe.

For the purpose of applying pressure to force the jaws together I illustrate a lever 21, which is provided with a nose 22 and its inner end is pivoted, as at 23, by means of a pin 24 or by other suitable means, to the ears 25 of a yoke 26. The yoke is preferably fastened to one of the jaws, such as the jaw 11 by a rivet 27, this preventing the separation ofthe parts. It will be evident that when the lever 21 is pulled down, the nose 22, engaging the outside of the jaw 10, forces the jaw 10 toward the jaw 11 and thus causes an engagement of the jaws.

To hold the lever down in its closed position to permit continued pressure to be applied if desired, and also to hold the lever 21 out of the way if, in case of a small device, it is a pocket device, the lever is provided with a springlip 28, which is disposed so that itis adapted to snap over the end 12 of the jaws and to be held in closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, by the spring action of the parts, and only released by pressing with the fingers on the extension 29 of the lever.

In case the tips for the shoe laces are supplied in the shape of small rectangular pieces of Sheet metal, such pieces can be laid over the recess 15 of the die 14: and then the dies swung together to cause the flat piece to be formed into a U-shaped piece, and then when the shoe lace is placed in this U- shaped piece andthe jaws are again squeezed together, the two upwardly extending arms of the U-shaped or semi-cylindrical piece are forced inward, as above described, to closely embrace the shoe lace.

It will be evident that slight modifications can be made without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim:

l. A device for affixing tips to shoe laces comprising a pair of jaws having a spring action to force thein apart, dies on the ends of the jaws, the engaging faces of the dies being formed so as to squeeze a tip around a shoe lace, a yoke secured to one jaw and extending` to the outside of the other jaw, a lever pivoted to said outside end of the yoke and having a nose thereon to engage the rear face of a jaw so that when the lever is swung the jaws are forced together, and a spring lip on the lever adapted to engage the ends of the jaws and adapted to be snapped thereover so as to hold lthe lever in its closed position.

2. A device for aHiXing tips to shoe laces comprising` a pair of jaws having a spring action to force them apart, dies on the ends of the jaws, the engaging faces of the dies being formed so as to squeezel a tip around a shoe lace, a yoke secured to one jaw and extending to the outside of the other jaw, a lever pivoted to said outside end of the yoke and having a nose thereon to engage the rear face of a jaw s0 that when the lever is swung the jaws are forced together, and a springlip on the lever adapted to engage the ends of the jaws and adapted to be snapped thereover so as to hold the lever in its closed position, the dies having one end of their abutting faces engaging the shoe lace tip projected so as to subject the part of the tip engaged therebjY to a pressure in excess of the pressure applied to the remainder of the tip.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereto set my hand, this 11th day of February, 1920.

ABRAHAM ZUCKERMAN. 

